The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world

not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but

on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18Instruct them to

do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

19storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the

future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

Only a few days ago, a man in his mid-to-late 50s jumped to his

death from the 42nd floor of a New York hotel. He was wealthy,

but he had been caught up in a money scheme that involved

several billions of dollars. During the stock market crash of 1929,

a number of wealthy men took their own lives because of their

loss of wealth. This is what Paul meant when he noted for us the

“uncertainty of riches.” Fine houses and flashy cars and the

ability to travel the world and stay in luxurious places are not

things upon which we are to “fix our hope.” We are instructed

(actually, ordered, commanded) to focus on the LORD, who

supplies (furnishes) us with all things. He wants us to enjoy them,

but our focus must be on Him, not on the things He gives us!

This life will someday come to an end for all of us. Those rich

and flashy things will be left behind. Of what real value will they

be to us then? We must look beyond “things” and see Jesus!

May the LORD bless your focus today,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely;

and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul’s prayers must have been wonderful to hear! Amidst all the turmoil of

life, the God of peace is working to make us completely holy. The elements

of our human life consist of our spirit (God-consciousness), our soul (self-consciousness)

and our body (world-consciousness). Remember that Paul was Jewish, and it was

characteristic of the Jews to put the more important thing first. Thus, spirit comes

before soul, and soul before body. We cannot be right with others unless we are

right within ourselves; and we cannot be right within ourselves unless we are right

with the LORD. Our preservation comes from the Greek word tereo, which means

to guard. The LORD guards us completely and entirely, enabling us to be holy, as

He desires. The capstone to all of this is that Jesus is Coming again! How do we

want to meet Him? With blame? or with purity? The LORD’s power is available

to make us what we ought to be. If we are not what He wants us to be, the blame

will fall upon us. “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely.”

We love you and pray that you may be ready for His Coming,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 2:13, “…we… constantly thank God that when

you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted

it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God,

which also performs its work in you who believe.”

We all know the hurt when someone says something unkind to us.

We also know the joy when someone says something nice about us.

But, have we noticed that the Word of God performs a work in us, too?

The word perform (??????? energeo) means “to be at work,” “to

accomplish.” You can see the word energy in “energeo” can’t you?

Look, I take 10 pills every morning before I have my coffee. Nana takes

more than that throughout the day. They were prescribed by our

doctor for our benefit. Failure to take them could mean some serious

breakdowns in our health. Would you believe that it is the same with

the Word of God? It’s true! I had some pretty rough times when I was

in the pastorate. I learned quickly to lean on the Word of God. His Word

soothed the anxieties and hurt –something no “pill” could do. I didn’t

know it then, but the Word was energizing me for the “battles” I had to

fight. With “people-battles” largely behind me now, I look for wisdom

to share with students, who face battles in their lives. There is NO

SUBSTITUTE for the Word of God!! That’s why you need to read it

carefully every day. Just rushing through it won’t do. You have to “savor”

it, like you would a sweet, juicy piece of steak. And, unlike the “pill,”

you have to believe everything it says, whether you can “see” its truths

or not. Oh, what a performance it is to a hurting life!

We love and pray for each of you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Colossians 3:23-25, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily,

as for the Lord rather than for men, 24knowing that from the Lord

you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ

whom you serve. 25For he who does wrong will receive the

consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without

partiality.”

There’s an old saying that goes, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth

doing well.” Paul goes a bit further with his admonition. He says,

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the LORD…”

It’s not always easy to do some things breathlessly (???? psuche).

Yet, those things given us to do, and the strength with which to do

them, come from the LORD. In the end –whether we see the end

or not—we will be rewarded for how we undertake the tasks He

gives us. Of course, we have the option of disobeying the LORD;

but disobedience carries heavy consequences. The LORD does

not play favorites. So, those tasks that lay before us are not only

worth doing, our LORD is worth their doing; so do them with all

your heart!

May the LORD bless each of you in doing today’s tasks,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy

and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the

elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

We Christians can never be too careful. The world’s philosophy is like a

noose that amusingly waits our hanging. Paul warns us not to be taken

captive. Think clearly: now that we have been saved, no idea or person

can take our salvation away. Once saved, always saved! But, the world’s

ideas can creep into our thinking and lead us astray, making us slaves to

its thinking. ~ Christianity is not a philosophy that searches for higher truth;

it is not human speculation that replaces honest investigation of the facts,

like “global warming” or “climate change.” Christianity is Truth!

The “traditions of men” are ideas that have taken hold of the speculations

which only the “intellectuals” can understand. The “rudiments of the world” are

the simple things that elementary children embrace on their way to the “higher”

things of the “intellectuals.” You can mark it all “R” for Rubbish!

Some of this human nonsense of which Paul speaks can be seen in the political

arena today, too. Just don’t believe everything you hear about anything,

unless it comes from or agrees with the Bible! Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6;

17:17).

We pray for you to be strong in the LORD,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas